Today on My Utmost journey, Mr. Chambers tells me that disillusionment is not a bad thing. It would do us all well to give up our ideas of what and how we expect people to behave. It is my own expectations of others that can take my emotions in directions I don't want to go. The places My Father in Heaven does not want them to go.

John 2:24-25 24 But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. 25 No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart. (NLT)

I learned the golden rule in Sunday School. I learned that I am to love the Lord my God with all my heart and soul and strength, and others as myself. They are excellent rules to live by. I don't remember, however, learning to give up my illusions that others will do the same. That is something God taught me.

Many of the cruel things in life spring from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts: we are true only to our ideas of one another. ~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost...

The world lives by the notion that our relationships can only be as good as those within the relationship. That idea can lead to one of either two outcomes. I will only associate with those I have determined can live up to my expectations of the relationship. Or I will see them for what they are and pass judgment on them - as if I have risen to some superior level above them.

When I follow God's model for relationships I don't pass judgement, I love. When one has hurt me or broken my trust, it may damage but it need not destroy the relationship. I can only do those things when God, not man, is truly my first love. The hard truth is: people will fail us. They will disappoint us.

They may deceive us and they may even, whether unintentional or not, cause us pain.

Why our Lord is so severe regarding every human relationship is because he knows that every relationship not based on loyalty to Himself will end in disaster. ~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost...

I must not allow myself to be disillusioned about my relationships. I must accept the reality that the people with whom I have relationships are flawed (as am I.) It is when I love them because God loves them, not because they behave properly, that I know my relationship can withstand the destruction our human natures will inevitably bring into it.

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Melinda started her fifth year of her devotions reading Oswald Chamber'sMy Utmost for His Highest. In 2015 she has made the commitment to share what this year's journey. Taking a detour, she began living Every Day With JesusNow she's listening to JesusCalling​ Second only to her Bible, these devotionals are treasured resources for her walk of faith.